5227 / 18210 · Workshop 35 — “Stella by Starlight”: Ambiguous Function, Deceptive Resolutions, Local Key Centers, and Navigating When the Harmony Refuses to Behave← prev⊞ allnext →
35.44Level 20 — functional strength scale
Not all chords are equally functional.
Think of a continuum:
Strongly functional
G7 → C.
Functionally suggestive
G7sus → G7.
Ambiguous
D♭/E♭.
Mostly coloristic
parallel maj7♯11 planing.
A sophisticated tune can move back and forth along this continuum.